Bedside Manners is what the play doctor ordered

Thursday

Jan 17, 2013 at 2:00 AMJan 17, 2013 at 11:00 PM

Three cheers to the Barnstable Comedy Club, and to director Ann Ring, for pulling off a mightily successful production of Bedside Manners, a flurry of a British sex farce that works because the whole cast displays alacrity, great expression and spot-on timing.

Barbara Clark

CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

Roger (Dan Powers), Ferris (Christopher Cooley) and Helen (Angela Courtney Rossi) pile on the dramatics, adding to the laugh quotient at the Barnstable Comedy Club’s production of Bedside Manners.

Cons and contrivances get their comeuppance at the Comedy Club

Three cheers to the Barnstable Comedy Club, and to director Ann Ring, for pulling off a mightily successful production of Bedside Manners, a flurry of a British sex farce that works because the whole cast displays alacrity, great expression and spot-on timing. The play, written by Derek Benfield and first staged in 1986, has kept its charm and humor.

Roger and Sally book into the Green Room in a seedy, out-of-the-way hotel for a weekend tryst. Geoffrey and Helen do the same – they’re in the Blue Room. These four cheatin’ hearts are all married – but each to someone other than his or her weekend companion. When each man checks in as “Mr. Smith,” it’s not long before Ferris, the concierge/porter/waiter and general dogsbody, realizes he’s in for a weekend of fast footwork, trying to keep the peace … and the two couples apart.

Bedside’s cast is uniformly delightful and tuned in to their roles.

Dan Powers is the bombastic Roger, who tries to appear debonair but quickly turns panicky as his indiscretions mount and he unsuccessfully spins one crazy excuse after another.

Anna Botsford, as Sally, is a bit bossy and glossy when she arrives to take charge of the weekend, but after downing a few gins, she does a lovely, slurry drunk – perfectly shrill and sarcastic but at the same time loosey-goosey.

Geoff (Bill Ring) is by turns sly and unprepossessing. He tries to act as if he’s enjoying his weekend out, but soon falls off the rails as the hilarity progresses and he (literally) loses his pants.

Helen (Angela Courtney Rossi) exudes drama as Geoff’s loud but klutzy weekend partner, who wears sunglasses to avoid being recognized and then trips all over the scenery. She keeps a box of chocolates, like a teddy bear, for comfort when things get out of hand.

Ferris (Christopher Cooley) is the fulcrum around which the others converge and spin, and he nearly steals the show – his expressive face and hands provide some great slapsticky moments. By turns snarky and affable, he’s the first to catch on that an odd and very funny game is afoot with this foursome. He soon gets into the spirit of the weekend, charging up and down the stairs from Blue to Green, at the center of the action, as the others concoct their stories and excuses. He also rakes in the tips, eats the chocolates and drinks the guests’ champagne.

Praise is due to the behind-the-scenes folks whose quick work further elevates the show, including stage manager Patti Hughes, lighting tech Vicki Marchant and sound designer Henry Morlock. A clever stage set with – of course – numerous doors divides the rooms from the lobby, and lighting changes indicate where the activity is taking place.

Get set for a lot of running up and downstairs, just-missed encounters, boxer shorts emblazoned with the British flag and a lot of crazy lies that boggle the mind. Little by little, characters encounter each other, and the fun and confusion increases. Get over to the Comedy Club and have a gen-u-ine good time at this hilarious show.